Rural Democrat mounts an uphill battle

Published 9:00 pm, Sunday, March 26, 2006

With the infamous Redbaiting of his father from the Washington Legislature in the 1960s, and the Christmas Eve 1985 murders of his brother's family in Seattle, Peter Goldmark has reason to guard his privacy.

"In difficult times, every citizen's responsibility is to do what he or she can to help out," said Goldmark, 59.

The McMorris-versus- Goldmark race is not likely to be a marquee race for national Democrats this fall. And that is just fine with Goldmark. He intends to be an "independent Democrat" beholden only to the 5th District.

The rural, agricultural Democrat -- nurtured by the New Deal, public power and Grand Coulee Dam -- used to be a constructive part of Washington's political ecology, much like the moderate, urban Republican.

Stephen Hawking Tackled Multiverse And Big Bang In His Final PaperGeoBeats

New Details Emerge About Avicii’s SuicideWibbitz

Archaeologists May Have Found the World's Largest Known Child Sacrifice Site in PeruTime

Trump Says He Did Stay Overnight In MoscowGeoBeats

Nancy Pelosi Gravely Warns America What the GOP Tax Law Will Do to Our FuturesNowThis News

Nowadays, alas, both political species are as much in danger of extinction as the spotted owl.

What's been lost? The progressive-but-sound views on the Seattle City Council that once belonged to John Miller, Tim Hill, Paul Kraabel and Bruce Chapman -- all Republicans.

Joel Connelly has been a staff columnist for more than 30 years. He comments regularly on politics and public policy.

As well, we've lost the kind of above-partisan leadership and class that Democrat Tom Foley supplied to Eastern Washington -- and to the whole state -- in Congress for 30 years, the last five as House speaker.

Of most controversy, McMorris chaired a subcommittee charged with coming up with ways to "reform" the National Environmental Policy Act, the country's basic environmental law.

The panel held one hearing in an urban area -- and found lots of NEPA defenders in Spokane -- then took to the road with small-town hearings at which testimony was taken from big mining companies, big timber companies and big oil companies. The "reforms" were first rolled out at a lobbyists' breakfast in Washington, D.C.

Goldmark feels that an atmosphere of "dirty money and corruption" hangs over Congress.

Asked about the lobbyists' breakfast, he replied: "It's the way the administration has gone about developing energy policy. It began with Dick Cheney's task force. With Hurricane Katrina, large amounts of public money have been committed without scrutiny. Decisions are made by lobbyists, or with lobbyists in the room."

No wonder. During the 1990s, Democratic state conventions seemed dominated by proposals from Seattle liberals to breach Snake River dams and shut down Hanford reactors.

Peter Goldmark is likely to challenge his own party, as well as McMorris.

"I'm not sure what's the necessary ingredient to fire the (Democrats') rebirth," he said. "I can tell you part of the problem -- the attitude of environmentalism at the expense of everything else.

"The Republican Party has been masterful at exploiting this. We need a melded environmentalism sensitive to local conditions: Environmentalism through regulation is a dead-end street. People will be good stewards of the land if they are recognized and rewarded for it."

Goldmark holds a doctorate in molecular biology: He took over management of the family ranch after his parents, John and Sally Goldmark, moved to Seattle.

The candidate's brother Chuck Goldmark, an attorney, mountain climber and civic leader, died after being stabbed with his wife and two sons in their Madrona home. David Rice, a political extremist, is serving a life sentence without parole for the murders.

One veteran politician is likely to have a particularly interesting perspective on the McMorris-Goldmark race.

Then-state Rep. Slade Gorton, a Republican, went to Okanogan in 1963 to testify for John Goldmark -- although the two men were of rival parties and beliefs in the Legislature.

It was Gorton, now a former U.S. senator, who helped pick McMorris in 2004 as a winner and House standout.

A NOTE OF CONGRATULATIONS: A Washington native, Ken Lisaius, recently won promotion to deputy White House press secretary under chief spokesman Scott McClellan.

Lisaius worked for then-Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash., who beat Foley in 1994, and went on to the Bush presidential campaign in 2000. He has been a reliable source of information for Northwest reporters.

Lisaius is a particularly valuable contact during the fall season. He is a diehard Cougar, and ready to argue sports once great questions of the day have been dealt with. Helen Thomas, take note.

Columnist Joel Connelly has written about politics for the P-I since 1973.